Early Pregnancy Symptoms You Might Overlook
Olivia on Nov 17 2008 at 8:38 pm | Filed under: Pregnancy
Many women don’t think about the possibility of being pregnant until after their period is missed and the test is taken. At that time, many early pregnancy symptoms may begin to occur, and confirm what is already known because of the body’s own response to the many changes taking place. Missing a period is often the first early pregnancy symptom that women notice, but others may have appeared before then, but which are subtle enough that they are not linked to pregnancy. However, many women won’t notice the signs at first, because they are not obtrusive enough to warrant much attention. If you did notice them, that might be the best time to take a pregnancy test. But by the time a woman hits the sixth or seventh week of pregnancy however, these early pregnancy signs might be difficult to ignore.
Yuck. Even the thought of that food makes me want to throw up.
Because other early pregnancy symptoms may have been missed, women feel that symptoms like food cravings appear much sooner than expected. When you look at charts of pregnancy symptoms week by week, these symptoms often show up much later in the term. However, challenges with different types of food can begin very early in the first trimester and will sometimes continue on throughout the pregnancy. In some cases, the aversions or craving may fluctuate slightly, so a woman who is craving one type of food during the first few months may switch to a completely different craving later on.
Rising hormone levels, primarily HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), are the cause of many early pregnancy symptoms. The fluctuations in hormones can sensitize the nose to a variety of odors, and the odors are often the cause of the food aversion. The best way to deal with these early pregnancy symptoms is to take your prenatal vitamin on schedule every day to ensure that your body is getting the nutrients it needs throughout your pregnancy. Be sure to take your pregnancy vitamins with food, so you don’t make your nausea worse. Then try to cater to your aversions and cravings as much as possible while sticking to a healthy diet as much as possible.
Why is everything such a pain in my back?
When low back pains begin, most women don’t attribute it to being pregnant, because early in the pregnancy the weight gain has not begun! Many books that talk about pregnancy symptoms week by week will also list low back pain in the later months of pregnancy as the growing baby begins to put a strain on the mother’s body. However, many women do experience low back pain as one of the early pregnancy symptoms as well. Once again, you can blame hormones for this discomfort as they prepare your joints and ligaments for the delivery of your baby at the end of your term.
There are many early pregnancy symptoms that can occur in the first few months. Many early pregnancy symptoms are common enough that most women will experience them, like morning sickness, fatigue and swollen breasts. Others make an appearance before many women expect them, like food aversions and low back pain. Of course, if any of these early pregnancy symptoms becomes a source of concern, be sure to discuss it with your doctor.
